A weakness of Míchel's falters (but does not break) Girona's Champions League streak

Vitoria (Special Correspondent)Girona came close to victory for much of the match in an entertaining encounter against Alavés, who snatched two points in the final minute (2-2). However, the Girona side continues to boast Champions League-caliber statistics for 2026, having accumulated more points in eight matches than only Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Girona captivated the city amidst the afterglow of Baskonia's Copa del Rey victory, who were honored before the match. Vitoria, a romantic city that, unlike others, still believes that not everything can be bought with money, is loyal to its fans. Mendizorrotza spent four minutes protesting against Tebas because the match was scheduled for a Monday. A mosaic was displayed in the south stand that read: "Our leisure, your business; our passion, your ambition; our rights, your profits; our feelings, your spectacle. No to midweek football." Just because it's a common practice doesn't make it normal.

Perhaps the atmosphere distracted the Girona fans, but the opening minutes foreshadowed a major disaster. Alavés took five minutes to score the first goal, capitalizing on a series of small errors by the red and whites that culminated in an easy finish by Lucas Boyé. The Argentine, a favorite of Míchel who has almost ended up at Montilivi in ​​a previous transfer window, took advantage of Rincón allowing Youssef to cross from the wing, while Vitor Reis and Gazzaniga simultaneously assumed the other would clear the ball, but neither did. A bucket of cold water right from the start, which almost became two, as moments later Toni Martínez missed a second chance. The start was bad, really bad.

Girona didn't look like the team that had defeated Barça and was leaking from all sides. It was Witsel who kept them in the game during the worst moments. The home side, driven by the Catalan Aleñá for the second consecutive season, had some ideas, but they faced a team that, unlike at the beginning of the season, neither gets flustered nor loses its composure when it loses. On the contrary, now it's patient and approaches each match with the right intelligence.

Ounahi, the difference-maker

Since Alavés, who missed another clear chance on a poorly executed counter-attack by Martínez, hadn't yet sealed the game, it was just a matter of waiting for Girona to make their presence felt. And so it was. The path they found to break the deadlock was a set piece. A corner, to be precise. Witsel flicked it on, capping off an excellent performance, and Vanat finished it off. The Ukrainian now has eight league goals and nine including the one in the Cup, a very impressive tally considering that Girona isn't one of the league's giants.

In the second half, Míchel brought on Ounahi, who hadn't played since December, before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Moroccan, who will soon be flying abroad, came close to scoring a couple of times, but instead assisted Tsygankov, who rounded goalkeeper Sivera as he came off his line. Boyé snatched victory with an isolated attack, but the Catalan trend is very positive.